We are delighted to announce that the Hula Valley Bird Festival will be back in November 2025, offering an amazing program of tours and events. Hosted by Birdlife Israel, the Hula Valley Bird Festival brings together birders from the world over for an unforgettable week of birds and nature in the world-famous Hula Valley
Hula Valley Bird Festival
November 9 – 13, 2025
Fall migration in northern Israel is spectacular. Millions of birds pour into Israel on their way to Africa, many staying on to winter. November is a special month as huge numbers of birds are on the move - Common Cranes, pelicans, birds of prey and passerines arrive en masse in the Northern Valleys. The combination of huge numbers and diversity of birds and other wildlife, happy people, great weather and stunning scenery is unbeatable.
The Hula Valley Bird Festival is based in the fabulous Hula Valley, along the Great Rift Valley, one of the world’s busiest bird migration flyways. The festival programme offers a fruitful birding itinerary that includes visits to some of the best birding locations of Northern Israel, focusing on the wonders of the Hula Valley. The birding package also includes excursions further afield to some key sites such as the alpine peaks of Mount Hermon and the vast grasslands of the Golan Heights. We will also visit our restoration projects in the avian-rich Bet Shean Valley and the coastal areas of Ma’agan Michael. This magical week will be full of a large variety of birds, wildlife and amazing landscapes.
Over 200 species of birds can be expected, including such highlights as the globally threatened Greater Spotted and Imperial Eagles, Finsch’s Wheatear, Syrian Serin, Moustached Warbler, Penduline Tit, Clamorous Reed-Warbler, Black Francolin, Sombre Tit, Western Rock Nuthatch, Long-billed Pipit, Rock Bunting, Little Swift, Namaqua Dove, Pygmy Cormorant and much, much more.
We will be based at the wonderful Pastoral Hotel in Kfar Blum. The rooms are clean and comfortable, the food wonderful and the grounds offer some great birding right at your doorstep. We maintain small group sizes and travel in a spacious minibus.
The Hula Valley Bird Festival Full Birding package includes:
- Pickup and transfer from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on day 1.
Drop off in Tel Aviv or Ben Gurion airport or Jerusalem on last day (day 5).
- 4 nights at Pastoral Hotel, Kfar Blum on HB basis (Breakfast and dinner included).
- A full program of birding tours led by the best tour leaders in Israel, all fluent English-speakers. Package visitors are free to join any or all the tours on the program. Tours cover all the major sites around the Hula valley, Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, Beit Shean Valley and the Mediterranean Coast.
- All entry fees are included in the tours.
- All evening activities and lectures.
- All transportation within the country.
Not included: flights, visas (if necessary), insurance, lunch (we will stop everyday where light lunches can be purchased), telephone, beverages, laundry, tips.
Festival Schedule (this may change slightly due to weather, bird reports etc.)
Sunday 9 November – The Beit Shean Valley - We will meet our buses and guides in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and head north to the magical Beit Shean Valley. There we will spend the day exploring this low-lying valley that is characterized by large agricultural areas and fishponds including the restored wetlands at Kibbutz Kfar Rupin, part of the Start-Up Nature restoration project of SPNI/BirdLife Israel. This area hosts huge numbers of birds in the winter including impressive concentrations of Black Kites, Black Storks, pelicans, gulls, herons and more. We will search for the enigmatic Dead Sea Sparrow as well and a large supporting cast of birds of prey, ducks and more. In the late afternoon, we will travel north, passing the beautiful Lake Kinneret to our hotel in the Hula Valley. Dinner will be at the hotel. Overnight Pastoral Hotel, Kfar Blum
Monday 10 November – A full day at the amazing Agamon Hula Park - The Agamon Hula Park is one of the most important bird areas in the country (and the whole Middle East). The area was re-flooded in the 1990's in order to manage the water circulation through the valley. As a result, a large body of water was recreated and the park hosts thousands of cranes, pelicans, birds of prey and more. Our day starts before dawn with the famous “mobile hide” tour at sunrise, one of the most incredible experiences in the birding world, where we will witness the early morning flight of the cranes and other birds that have roosted in the lake for the night. After returning for breakfast at the hotel, we will head back to the Agamon Hula where we will explore the fields, ponds and trails enjoying a huge variety of bird of prey (including the globally threatened Imperial and Greater Spotted Eagles), waterbirds and passerines, including different pipits and larks. Dinner and evening lecture at the hotel. Overnight Pastoral Hotel, Kfar Blum
Tuesday 11 November -To the Golan and Mt. Hermon - After an early breakfast we will head up to the Golan Heights and Mt. Hermon. Mt. Hermon is Israel's highest mountain, boasting an impressive list of birds that can be seen nowhere else in the country. We will search for some specialty species such as Western Rock Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Syrian Serin and more. Depending on the weather we might go up to the high reaches of the mountain where we will search for Horned Lark and Crimson-winged Finch. After a tour on the mountain we will head down to the Druze village of Majdal Shams for lunch. In the afternoon we will explore some birding sites in the northern Golan Heights, depending on weather and updated birding news. Dinner and evening lecture at the hotel.
Overnight Pastoral Hotel, Kfar Blum
Wednesday 12 November – Back to the Hula - The day will start with an early morning walk on the hotel/kibbutz grounds before breakfast. Then we will head out to the Hula Nature Reserve to explore the reedbeds and boardwalks. The Hula Nature reserve is the first Nature reserve in Israel and holds the world's northernmost Papyrus reed-beds. The reserve is home to over 100 species of birds including the impressive White-tailed Eagle. After a rest in the hotel, we will spend the afternoon visiting a couple of key hotspots in the valley before heading to the Agamon Hahula for a spectacular sunset tour on the mobile hide. This sunset show is a great way to end our time at the Hula Valley as we watch and listen to over 40,000 cranes and many other birds flying in to roost for the night in the Lake. Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight Pastoral Hotel, Kfar Blum
Thursday 13 November – The Beautiful Mediterranean Coast - After an early breakfast we will check out of the hotel and drive to the Mediterranean Coast to visit several iconic sites such as the restored wetlands at Kibbutz Maagan Michael, another Start-Up Nature restoration project. The coastal fishponds and beach host huge numbers of birds including White Pelicans, Black and White Storks, herons, gulls, three species of Kingfisher, birds of prey, many ducks and Waders and much more.
By midafternoon we will make our way back to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Price: Double room: $1975 per person
Single room: $2550
Price for Members of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Double room: $1786 per person
Single room: $2360
A deposit of $200 (700 NIS) is required on registration.
A minimum number of participants is needed to offer this festival – on arriving at this minimum number (or by September 1st, we will inform you via email and provide you with a link for completing your payment in full.
For more information contact Alena Kacal at [email protected]
Conservation Commitment: The Hula Valley Bird Festival is a program of BirdLife Israel, part of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). Your participation in this festival supports the ongoing research, conservation and education work of BirdLife Israel and helps to protect important stopover sites for hundreds of millions of birds that migrate through Israel every year.
Carbon offset donation: Participants are invited to donate an additional amount to help offset their carbon footprint in participating in the tour. If you choose to do so, your donation will go to the Start-Up Nature restoration and carbon capture program of SPNI/BirdLife Israel. This program is restoring wetlands around the country in order to create new stopover sites for migratory birds and increase biodiversity. To make a donation: https://secured.israelgives.org/en/pay/StartUpNature
Cancellation policy: The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel’s cancellation policy complies with Israel’s consumer protection law and regulations. This cancellation policy set up favorable conditions for individuals who are participating in our birding festivals. It is as follows:
- Cancellation up to 2 months before the event – 5% cancellation charge. Optional refund of balance of charge.
- Cancellation between 2 months and 1 month before the event – 50% of the total fee.
- Cancellation less than 1 month before the event - you will be charged the full price for the package booked.
- If you are cancelling because of a medical condition please make sure to provide the necessary paperwork with your cancellation and we will assess the situation before charging penalties.
If SPNI makes the decision for any reason to cancel the festival- a full refund will be given.
SPNI reserves the right to cancel the favorable cancellation policies or to determine from time to time additional favorable cancellation conditions at its complete and exclusive discretion.
We highly recommend that all participants purchase travel insurance that will cover the cost of any cancellations due to sickness or flight cancellations as well as health insurance during the trip.
For more information, contact Alena Kacal at [email protected]
FAQ’s
Do I have to participate in all the trips? Or can I skip one if I want to rest? On day 2 and 4, there will be a series of shorter trips – with one before breakfast, one after breakfast and one in the afternoon. In between we will be returning to the hotel. It is possible on these days to skip one of the sessions if needed. On the first and last days, as well as on day 3 to the Golan, we will be travelling for most of the day and would not be possible to skip any part of the day.
How much walking is involved?
There is some light to moderate walking each day. Within the hotel, there is some walking to and from your rooms to buses and meals, and there may be some stairs. On trips, participants will be getting in and out of the minibus and there may be some easy walking on site. Most of the walking will be on good paths and boardwalks, however there will be some walking on uneven ground. Usually the minibus is with the group at all times if needed.
What is the best field guide for Israel? The best guide is the Collins - The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, 3rd edition, by Lars Svensson et al. This is also available as an app on your cellphone (Android
and iOS). The benefit to the app is that it includes calls and songs of most of the birds. Merlin also has a bird pack for Israel which you can download for free. This also includes bird calls and songs, and photos.
What is the weather like in November? The weather in November can be quite variable – from fairly warm to rainy and cool. We recommend bringing several layers of clothing including a warm jacket and hat and a rain-proof jacket. Good walking shoes are recommended with a pair of comfortable shoes to wear at the hotel if walking shoes get muddy. Hat and sunglasses are also recommended.
Lunch is not part of the package: where can I purchase lunch? On longer trips days, we will stop at locations where simple lunches can be purchased. Participants can also purchase food and snacks at the mini-mart at the kibbutz that sells a variety of food. Each room has a mini-fridge and an electric kettle.
If I come from overseas, will I have trouble bringing optics into Israel? There is usually no problem bringing personal optics into Israel. However, keep in mind if you plan to travel to Jordon after the Festival – some people have been told that they cannot bring optics across the border into Jordan.
Do I need to bring cash with me? Almost every transaction in Israel can be done with a credit cards, so cash is not essential. However, you might want to have a few shekels to spend on drinks and lunches, etc. Please be aware that tips for guides and drivers are not covered by the cost of the festival – if you decide to tip, cash is best – but does not have to be in shekels.
I am mainly a photographer, is this festival suitable for photographers?
The Hula Valley Bird Festival will focus on birdwatching and will move at a pace suitable to birdwatchers. While many people do bring cameras, we do not tend to spend dedicated time at any one place in order to focus on photography. However, with the amount and variety of birds there will be incredible casual photo opportunities. There will be a couple occasions where there is more time for photography and some time when people will be able to do their own thing. Great care is taken to ensure that everyone has good looks at the birds, and we ask that participants not block each other’s views, walk in-front of the group or wander into areas of the path where birds can be scared away. We also ask that participants not leave the designated paths in nature reserves or use playback calls.
Did we cover all your questions? If not feel free to be in touch with us – we are happy to help answer any of your questions or concerns. Contact us at [email protected]
